an urge to clean up the
house in readiness for the arrival of the baby.

you may feel energetic
and unsettled - wanting to keep on the move.

you may feel excited,
anxious or nervous about the birth

you could lose some
weight just before the birth

your baby could stop
moving as its room in the womb is restricted from the position it has taken up
towards your pelvis.

possibly a backache

diarrhoea

The show - a
small discharge of blood and mucus from your vagina

your waters will break -
this is the sac that holds the amniotic fluid surrounding your baby.

If you have a constant flow
of blood from your vagina - this is not normal and you should see your doctor immediately.

The First Stage

Your uterus tightens
and relaxes its muscles to start your cervix opening up. At first they will be only
slight. Your babys head moves towards the cervix, helping it to open.

Contractions may vary with
each woman. In an ideal situation contractions which last 20 - 30 seconds will occur every
20 - 30 minutes. Some women do not notice the contractions until they are about 10 minutes
apart.

Your cervix gradually
dilates (opens). When it is about 3 cm dilated you are said to be in established
labour.
At this time your midwife or doctor will examine your vagina and check for any
complications and other routine observations. As your cervix opens, your contractions will
come more frequently and they will last longer. Your cervix will need to be 10cm wide
before it is fully open.

Eventually your
contractions begin to get much closer together and they can be quite painful and strong.
This is the transition period. At this time you will more than likely be quite irritable,
nauseous, trembling and you may feel a strong urge to push.

If your waters havent
broken yet, this could be when they do. Your baby is nearly ready to be born.

The second stage

The second stage is usually
a relief for many women as this is when the pushing can start.

The cervix is fully dilated
and you will feel an urge to push the baby out. Your baby is moving down the birth canal.
Your contractions will be lasting for about 5 or 6 seconds. This part of the process may
last about an hour for first time mothers.

Once the babys head
can be seen from the vagina, it is almost over. Resist the urge to keep pushing hard as
you will rip the area between your vagina and anus - the perineum.

Try to breathe in short
breaths to deliver your babys head. Once the head is out just let the rest of the
body come out naturally.

Tell the doctors in advance
that you want the child placed onto your stomach before the umbilical cord is cut. This
helps with the bonding of the child to you. Hold the child as soon as you can.

The third stage

This is the delivery of the
afterbirth or placenta. This is controlled by the doctor or midwife. Your uterus will
continue to contract to get rid of this, but you will not be able to feel it. Sometimes
the doctors will give you an infection to hurry this up to reduce the risk of serious
bleeding after birth.

Most mothers will
experience some mucus or bleeding from the vagina for a few weeks after childbirth.

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